


The Catarius

by sartiebodyshots



Category: Falling Skies
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 10:38:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4388597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cochise discovers that he has only one kidney and that it's going to shorten his life when he's still a hatchling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Catarius

“You are defective,” the caretaker says dispassionately.  “You are lacking a vital organ that filters waste.”

Cochise is still too young to speak, but he is capable of using the Volm sign language.  _What does that mean?_

“Your lifespan will be shorter than average.  That is all,” the caretaker says.

_Will I be able to become a warrior?_   That is all Cochise wants to become.  That is the only important occupation.  Anything else is a disgrace.

“Yes, although you will never rise to the higher ranks.” 

There has never been a guarantee that anyone will survive long enough to do so anyway.

_Thank you for informing me._

“You are aware we will have to inform your parents and your comrades.”

_Of course_.  They will need to know that he is defective.  That it is possible that he will become a liability. 

“You are dismissed.”

* * *

 

Cochise does not wish to speak to anyone, and so he hides in a small vent.  The caretakers cannot find him there for they are too large and very few hatchlings explore the vents.

Nevertheless, he hears someone crawling towards him.

“How was your physical exam?” his brother always knows where he is hiding.  It is one of his most frustrating qualities.  They are not supposed to form a relationship, but his brother insists.  “I am certain you are fully functional.”

Cochise does not reply.

“You are not fully functional?” his voice falters.

_I am not.  I am missing a vital organ.  I am still capable of becoming a warrior, but I am defective._ Cochise signs firmly in order to convey a false sense of stability, even if he is uncertain how he feels about this.  He is not supposed to feel anything about this, but there is a deep feeling of shame nevertheless.

“You will be a feared warrior, and you will kill many Espheni.  I am certain,” his brother assures him. 

Cochise just nods.  His brother is fully functional, has always excelled in their training.  This deficiency is not something that he cannot understand.  Cochise does not even understand, yet. 

“I wish to show you something that I have not shown anyone,” his brother says.  “Come with me.”

Cochise does not want to follow his brother, but he does so.  They are not supposed to be in the vent, after all.  That is the only reason he follows his brother.  From now on, he will have to be cautious about his behaviors because he will be scrutinized more closely than his comrades.

The walk to his brother’s quarters.  Cochise is certain that he can feel his fellow hatchlings looking at him.  It is unlikely that everyone has been made aware so quickly, but it is possible.

“I have discovered a poem from before the Espheni war,” his brother informs him.  “A beautiful poem.”

_Your obsession with poetry is not going to help you in the future._

“It is beautiful, Chichauk Il'sichninch Cha'tichol, and that is not the only thing I discovered,” his brother says, ignoring him completely.

_What else?_

“You must wait and see,” his brother says. 

_You are frustrating._

“And you find my presence enjoyable.”

_Incorrect_. 

His brother laughs at him. 

When they arrive in his brother’s quarters, his brother instructs him to sit on his bed.  Cochise does so. 

His brother hands him a datapad with an image on it.  An unfamiliar image: bright orange petals surrounded by other purple petals.  A long yellow stem. 

“You will be forced to fight much harder than your comrades.  I believe you will require a greater reason to fight than what most Volm fight for,” his brother says quietly.  It is good he is quiet because it is not something he should say.  There is no greater reason to fight than the good of the Volm.

_What is this?_

“This is the Catarius flower,” his brother says.  “It is native to our homeworld.  Is it not beautiful?”

Cochise tilts his head at his brother.  This is pointless.

“Perhaps if I read the poem, the beauty will become clearer,” his brother says.

As his brother begins to recite the poem, the beauty does become more apparent.  It is… upsetting that this flower no longer exists, but it will exist again one day.  That is a comfort.

_This is beautiful._

“I knew you would enjoy it,” his brother says, smiling at him.

_May I have this image file?_

“Yes, take it with you,” his brother says.

Cochise stands up, preparing to leave when his brother rests his hand on his arm. 

“You will be fearsome.  You will encounter difficulties, but you will be successful.” 

Cochise just nods at him.  He is uncertain of the veracity of his brother’s statement, but it is kind of him to offer such support.

When he and his fellow hatchlings are supposed to enter their rest cycles that night, Cochise takes a few minutes to observe the image file of the Catarius.  It is beautiful.

 


End file.
